THE BUSINESS CASE FOR NARRATIVE

We Are Storytellers — Investors don't blindly sink resources into companies and consumers don't thoughtlessly buy products. They engage in story, Businesses that successfully grasp and then wield the power of their own narrative will recruit and retain customers, attract investors, build an effective social media following and inspire journalists to spread their inspiration across the web.

For 20 years, Winston Ross worked his way from an internship at a tiny newspaper in Alabama to senior writer at Newsweek Magazine, all in pursuit of a good yarn. There are hundreds of reporters in America who understand the basic tenets of journalism, but to make it to that level, what's important is identifying the kind of piece that might leap out of the sea of data available on the internet and be worthy of not just reading, but sharing.

It's that quest — finding the most compelling element of your story, and an audience hungry for a good story, that inspired Story Board.

Winston helped our company develop a surprisingly effective media strategy at a critical time. He has a unique approach that’s based on a reporter’s understanding of how serious press coverage is actually generated, and it works wonders.

— Mowgli Holmes, Founder, Phylos Bioscience

Story Ideation: — "What does this company do?"is only the first and most obvious part of your story. You're likely staffed with a compelling cast of characters, each of whom might be worthy of a profile in his or her own right. We work with you to identify the most effective storylines.

The Channels — From the web site to social media platforms to blog posts to investor pitch decks, we help you tell a consistent and engaging story.

The pitch — The pitch is where storytellers live or die. Good story pitches can go viral and provide potential customers with the best possible marketing. We establish pitches that are credible, because they've been vetted by real journalists.

Communication strategy — How do you handle it when a reporter at a major national magazine is working on a piece that won’t publish for three months and a newspaper reporter calls with questions about a different piece for tomorrow’s paper? How do you respond to social media trolls? Only those with real experience in the industry can navigate these paths effectively.

Audience engagement — Legacy journalism and a successful social media campaign should reinforce one another. We work to leverage your earned coverage to expand your social media following and then keep that following engaged with regular blog posts and short, captivating videos.

Weekly meetings — Each week, we meet to discuss what’s happening at the company that week, what ideas might be ripe for a new pitch or what editors and reporters we’re working on with pitches we’ve already developed.

Roving conversations — Throughout the week, we communicate with reporters and editors on the pitches we’ve developed, and maintain constant contact about how to field and respond to their inquiries and prepare for interviews.

Engagement — Depending on the product and the process, we’ll develop ideas to build an audience and keep them engaged via social media and on the company’s web site. Short interviews with company staffers, interesting how-to or behind-the-scenes videos, anything that reminds potential customers you exist and gives them a new way to explore your offerings.

Story Board Founder Winston Ross is an award-winning journalist with 16 years of experience; 13 in newspapers and three at national magazines and top online sites, including Newsweek, Time, People, The Daily Beast andThe Washington Post.